Jess Leahey – Illustrator, artist, passionate Revelstoke local

Tell us a little bit about yourself My name is Guylaine St. Gelais. I have lived in Revelstoke for the past 13 years. Like many people, I originally came here for a winter to snowboard, but ended up staying. I grew up on a farm outside of Montreal in Quebec where the land was very flat! When I came to Revelstoke, I immediately fell in love with the mountains and the backcountry and delved right into the mountain scene. Though winter in Revelstoke first drew me in, after moving here, I soon came to love the summer even more. I met my partner here and now we have a young son. We feel very fortunate to call Revelstoke home and to have the opportunity to raise our son here. It’s a very special place that we live in. Professionally, my background is social work. When I first got to Revelstoke, I worked at a women’s shelter for four years. Looking for a change, I ended up connecting with the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce. I started as the Visitor Centre Manager and have since taken on the role of Visitor Experience Manager to develop and run some of our organization’s programs. What are some of the things that you’ve been working on? One of the main projects is the Revelstoke Ambassador Program. Created for locals, our program provides foundational Revelstoke knowledge to help local workers enhance their customer service skills and provide a better visitor experience throughout the town. In addition, I help to ensure that our visitor services have everything their need to provide as much information to our guests as possible. In the summer, we offer a roving visitor services program where we take our van to different locations in the National Park to try and encourage people to explore and check out our wonderful town in addition to the National Park. I’m sure that you’ve probably seen many changes over the years that you’ve lived in Revelstoke. What are some of the biggest changes that you’ve seen? Back when I first came, the people that were attracted to Revelstoke were primarily the heavy, hard-core adventure seekers. More recently however, we’re seeing a more diverse audience. The summer visitor used to be very different than then our winter visitor. Our summer visitors were here to see our National Park, but the winter visitors were here primarily to ski and only ski. Nowadays people aren’t necessarily coming here to bike or ski. They are coming here for other reasons including the small-town mountain experience. They’ve discovery the incredible cross-country skiing, the winter hiking trails, spa and so much more. Today’s Revelstoke is for anyone of all ages and interests. If you were to choose your favourite place in Revelstoke, where would it be? My very favourite place in Revelstoke is a little spot on a rock in our neighbourhood that sits out overlooking the river. I love sitting there. It reminds me of my good friend who passed away. I love how you can feel the strength of the river. It’s just such a beautiful place to slow down and connect with nature. Outside of work band being a mother, what are some of your favourite activities? I snowboard. I love anything to do with snowboarding – in particular, the backcountry. In the summer, it’s all about mountain biking. Just recently, I also started exploring pottery. If you were to pick three words to describe Revelstoke what would they be? Connection - connection to the people and to the land. Nature. Home. What would you say is the must-do thing in Revelstoke? Whatever your ability, everyone should make a point of experiencing the alpine. It’s there and accessible and that’s such a rare thing. In the summer, alpine meadows are spectacular. In the winter, it’s a different experience, but equally as amazing. Is there something that you want to share? A local’s secret that you might have? Grab a scoop of gelato from La Bagette! I am dairy-free and they make an incredible sorbet and white chocolate gelato. I highly recommend it! The cookies from Terra Firma are also a must-have. Their cookies are loved by all the locals.

My name is Zuzana Riha. I live in Revelstoke and have so for the past 29 years. I moved here because I love the climate, I love the four seasons and I love the fact that I can adventure year-round, outside. I really like being outside and surrounded by nature.